Title and Author: Illusions (Wings, #3), by Aprilynne Pike
Publishing Info: Harper Collins; May 3, 2011.
How I got this book: Harper Collins sent it to me for their Dark Days of Supernatural summer tour.
Why I read this book: I read the first two, and loved them! I love the idea of faeries and trolls, and the supernatural. The first two were written beautifully, and I was captivated. Of course, the third would be just the same.
Stars: 5
It's really hard to review a book that is number 3 in a series of 4, especially when books 1 and 2 have not been reviewed on TB&TB. I don't want to spoil the first two books for readers who have not yet discovered this series, or have not gotten around to reading them. So what I plan to do is post the blurb from the back cover of all three books. If you have not read books one and two and are interested in doing so, read at your own risk and I will do my best to not include any spoilers!
Book #1, Wings:
"Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words.
Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.
In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever."
Book #2, Spells:
"Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger--and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.
When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?"
When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?"
Ok, those are the blurbs for the first two books. Luckily they are both pretty vague, which is how my review of Illusions is going to have to be. Illusions was actually my favorite of the three books. It was magical, romantic, adventurous, and I got through it in 24 hours! Here's the blurb for this book:
"Laurel hasn't seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice.
But just as life is returning to normal, Laurel discovers that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible. And for the first time, Laurel cannot be sure that her side will prevail."
For the most part, I really like the characters. There's Laurel, her boyfriend David, her sentry/guardian Tamani, her best friend Chelsea, and Chelsea's boyfriend Ryan. There's also a troll-hunter, Klea who I don't like, and Klea's foster child from Japan, Yuki. They are all different, they have personality, and they are all people I could see myself being friends with. These people are not annoying, whiny little teenagers. I forget they are in high school. Thank you, Aprilynne. It's so nice to read a book where the highschoolers don't act like sterotypical highschoolers.
So, these characters are off attending high school, keeping the secrets of Faerie a secret, going to school dances heavily guarded by more sentries, protecting themselves and their human families, and avoiding the trolls that are out to discover the secret gates to Avalon, home of the faeries. Laurel spends most of her free time with David, Tamani, and/or practicing her faerie skills in her bedroom. This brings in a whole new cast of characters: the other faeries who live in Avalon and train Laurel on being a faerie during her summer breaks. She has one friend there, Katya, who I really like. She's adorable. I also like Laurel's teachers and mentors. The descriptions of Avalon are amazing. It sounds gorgeous, from the scenery, to the description of an out-of-this-world new year's festival, to the architecture, even the clothing and accessories the faeries wear. I would LOVE to go to Avalon!
And then we have the characters in between: the sentries, faeries who keep a watchful eye on everyone else, and Laurel's parents, who are extremely understanding. SO many characters to keep track of, but it doesn't seem like it while you're reading. It just sounds like a lot when I type them all out in a list like this.
Obviously there's a love triangle, just like there is in any other YA paranormal romance. I like both the guys, David and Tamani, involved in this love triangle! I find myself rooting for one, and then the other. Usually I have one favorite and I root for him throughout the entire book/series. I'm confused on who Laurel should end up with, though. I can only imagine how confused SHE is, since she's the one actually living it. She has a very sweet bond with both the boys. In this book, though, she takes the time to focus on the guy who she's spent most of her time brushing off, and it was adorable! This guy loves her so much, and he is so willing to wait for her to decide. I swear, I wish I had one of these guys going after me. Laurel gets both. It's not fair. Or maybe it is. I think I'd really get stressed out loving two different men.
There's tense moments, romantic moments, tender moments, beautiful writing, amazing settings, fun characters, and magic, magic, magic! The end had a twist I wasn't expecting, and dropped to quite a cliffhanger! I really feel like giving away any more details would spoil everything, so I need to just stop and let you read them for yourself! I hate writing such a vague review, but it must be done! If you have read these, I'd love to hear what you thought! If you haven't read them, hopefully my review pushed you towards giving them a try. I hope I didn't spoil anything for anyone, and at the same time I hope I did the book justice. Thanks so much to Harper Collins for sending me this book! I'm excited for book 4, which has no title yet and is being released sometime in 2012.
Happy reading!